No radical changes to Muirfield, just refining

GULLANE, Scotland –– The world’s elite shouldn’t expect radical changes when they turn up at Muirfield this year to play the 142nd version of the Open Championship. The R&A has adopted an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach to a venue staging the game’s oldest championship for the 16th time. Muirfield is widely regarded as one of the top five courses in the British Isles, links or otherwise. It ranks fourth on Golfweek ’s list of classic British and Irish courses. “Muirfield is often regarded as the toughest but fairest of the Open championship venues,” said Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A’s championship committee. “Jack Nicklaus said ‘what you see is what you get’ and that’s certainly the case.” R&A chief executive Peter Dawson agreed. “It’s an immensely popular venue with the players. They like this golf course. Nicklaus’s ‘what you see is what you get’ was perha...